Heritage Month and Bermuda Day celebrations

The theme is highly resonant as we often view artists through the prism of high art, embodied by fine artists, sculptors, writers or playwrights but the theme here will have a far wider significance to our community in that anyone can contribute to Heritage Month 2011 whether they be a landscape artist, a Bermuda cake or fish-cake maker, a Majorette, choreographer, dancer or float maker.

Ladies and gentlemen, you can be rest assured that locals and visitors are in store for a celebration that truly evokes the very best of our traditions, heritage and folklore during what we’ve become to recognize as one of our most beloved cultural occasions of the year.

So let me take this opportunity to provide you with a brief summary of the Heritage Month events:

• We have an early start to Heritage Month 2011 with the opening of a Heritage Month Art Exhibition entitled Heritage Through the Eyes of the Artist.  The opening reception will be held on Thursday 28 April, 2011 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Bermuda Society of Arts Gallery, City Hall and will feature the works of many local artists. 

• A two day event will kick off on May 7th with a dazzling arts festival/Gombey Explosion, which will take place at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art in the Botanical Gardens that will feature a variety of fine artists at work in the Gardens; various Gombey troupes and Gombey makers as well as craft makers of Gombey art. Featured artists will include many of our favourite local fine art painters and there will be a demonstration of the art of glass-blowing, caricature drawing displays, and local jewelry makers - as well known craft makers.

• On Thursday, May12th, I am pleased to announce that one of our own highly esteemed artists – Sharon Wilson will be presenting a seminar entitled “A Talk With Sharon Wilson - Uplifting The Human Spirit” at the Bermuda College. This is one of the presentations in the very popular series – “Historical Heartbeats” organized annually by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.

• Continuing with the Heritage Month theme – “Heritage Through The Eyes of the Artist” - on Sunday May 15th, “Art In The Park” will be the event for a family fun day to be held at Par-La-Ville Park in Hamilton featuring fun activities for children including face painting, craft-making as well as drawing and painting activities, which will also include musical and performance entertainment. This event will be staged in partnership with the Corporation of Hamilton. 

• On Saturday, May 21st “A Musical Treat With Shine And Friends” will be held at Shine’s House of Music located on Reid Street in Hamilton, where the audience will enjoy a fantastic evening of comedy, music and dancing.

• On Sunday May 22nd, “Dance Through The Ages” will take place at the Number Six Passenger Terminal on Front Street, Hamilton - the setting will facilitate a delightful night of dancing under the stars with expert dancers, including Mr. Roddy Burchall, Mr. and Mrs. Walter and Joanne Ingham, Valerie Dill and the PCC Dancing Club. This ensemble of unique talent will present a display of Rumba, Swing, Fox Trott, Line Dancing, Salsa and Limbo dancing. 

The above mentioned events are just a few of the activities that the community can look forward to during our May 2011 Heritage Month and I’m certain that everyone will greatly enjoy these wonderful opportunities to participate in celebrating ourselves, our customs and our traditions.

Needless to say, Heritage Month would not be complete without celebrating one of the most widely anticipated cultural festivities of the year - the Annual Bermuda Day Parade, which follows the morning Marathon Derby and other Heritage Day Races during the afternoon - on Tuesday, the 24th May.  This day has special meaning for all of us. It is a day that we have traditionally come together as Bermudians – residents and visitors alike – to celebrate our diversity and our uniqueness.

While the full line of participants in the parade will be announced at a later date, I have been advised and am extremely pleased that we will have an incredible line-up of diverse and colorful participants representing all segments of the Community, which will offer something exciting for everyone. We will certainly have our traditional favorites, including a wide selection of Gombey Troupes from all over the Island, Majorettes, drum corps and dance troupes, as well as many other wonderful attractions.

At this point, I have a very special announcement to make: “The Bermuda Day Parade will take an exciting new route this year”.  All participants and float makers will be asked to gather at Bernard Park.  The Parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. leaving from Bernard Park and turning north on to Dutton Avenue. At the junction with Marsh Folly, the parade will make a left turn and continue moving to the very popular vantage point along Cedar Avenue. 

This year the Bermuda Day dignitaries will also be seated at a viewing point just off Cedar Avenue, located at the Leopard’s Club. For many years Cedar Avenue has been lauded as the “the people’s avenue”, where the crowds who gather there create a real FESTIVE Bermuda Day atmosphere and this year dignitaries together with the Ministry of Youth, Families, Sports and Community Development will be in the midst of that atmosphere among the enchanting revelry and celebration of our heritage.

The parade will continue along Cedar Avenue, where participants will make a left turn on to Church Street, traveling east before turning right at the court Street junction and continuing to Front Street where the parade participants will turn right proceeding west along Front Street before making a right turn on to Queen Street. 

At the top of Queen Street, the parade turns right on to Church Street followed by a left turn on Dismont Drive. The dance participants will pass by the final viewing stand located at the City Hall Car Park and music trucks will go left on to Church Street and then disburse, while the Floats will park for public viewing in the area immediately along the stretch of Church Street known as Nellie’s Walk (in Front of City Hall). 

There will be a viewing stand and seating available at the City Hall Car Park to accommodate those who wish to be located at the final performance point of the Annual Bermuda Day Parade.

It should be further noted that Vendors will be stationed at key places throughout the City of Hamilton – including:

Front Street (at No.5 and No.1 Car Parks), City Hall Car Park and Victoria Park where there will be the added feature of musical entertainment. The newly formed Entertainment Task force has been meeting during the past few months to organize and format the entire entertainment plan for the day, which will feature some of Bermuda’s best home-grown talent that will commence performances following the Marathon Derby and continue until the start of the Parade. Performances will then resume at the conclusion of the parade until about 8:00pm.

All streets in the City will be re-opened around 8:00 p.m. at the latest.

Before I conclude my remarks today, let me take this opportunity to thank the staff at the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs for their hard work and continuing diligent effort to ensure that Heritage Month 2011 will be one to remember. Most importantly, I welcome and encourage participation from all segments of the community during Heritage Month - especially during the 24th of May, Bermuda Day celebrations. Residents and visitors alike are invited to take full advantage of festivities and events planned for our Heritage Month of May 2011.